Health IT for Children Toolbox

What is the Toolbox?

The toolbox for health IT for children is a compilation of health IT information targeted at children's health care needs, ranging from pediatric electronic medical records to children's health insurance coverage. It also discusses opportunities to link other systems that serve children, including Head Start, schools, foster care, etc. The toolbox also provides specific health IT resources online to support information technology in children's health promotion and disease prevention. The resources are designed for a diverse set of stakeholders, including State and Federal policy makers, providers, insurers, teachers, families, and other caregivers. A variety of individuals and organizations including the Nemours Health and Prevention Services (NHPS), the California HealthCare Foundation, the California Endowment and others have partnered with HRSA to provide financial support to the HRSA toolbox for health IT for children. An expert panel consisting of Government officials, health care providers and other stakeholders representing our target population helped develop the toolbox to ensure the resources are accurate, relevant, and effective. This expert panel convened in July 2008 at a meeting on Promoting Child Health and Well-being through Health Information Technology, sponsored by NHPS and The California Endowment, with support from the Health Foundation of South Florida and the Child Policy Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

What is the best way to use the Toolbox?

There is no one "right" way to use this toolbox. It is intended as a resource to help a broad range of stakeholders with varying levels of knowledge. For those seeking an orientation to the toolbox, we believe that skimming each of the seven modules will be effective for getting the "lay of the land" prior to delving into the specifics of any one area. The key is to find those resources that are most important and helpful for any given user, and the module-based question and answer framework will help facilitate this search.

Please note that the toolbox links to full text articles wherever possible. In certain cases, however, the link may be to an abstract of an article and the reader can determine if s/he would like to access the full article.

How does this toolbox differ from other HRSA Toolboxes?

This toolbox is intended to be a "one-stop" resource for those interested in applying health IT to improve child health and well-being. As such, it incorporates relevant resources from other HRSA toolboxes. For example, resources from the Health IT Adoption toolbox such as glossaries, planning and implementation resources are included in modules within this toolbox in addition to materials that are relevant specifically for those addressing child health and well-being.

Where can I go for more help?

For additional help or more information, please contact HRSA's Office of Health Information Technology and Quality at HealthIT@HRSA.gov.

Developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a resource for health centers and other safety net and ambulatory care providers who are seeking to implement health IT.